


Of Gods and Monsters, Saga 4: (Caught in) Suspension

by bzarcher, solarbird



Series: Of Gods and Monsters [22]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alliances, Bad English, Conditioning, Conscience, Espionage, F/F, Fucked Up, Grief/Mourning, Incomplete Intelligence, Intelligence - Freeform, Lesbian Character, M/M, Memory Alteration, Nepal (Overwatch), Numbani (Overwatch), Oasis (Overwatch), Recovery, Revulsion, Shambali (Overwatch), Talon Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Unreliable Narrator, Variables
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-06 19:44:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14654862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bzarcher/pseuds/bzarcher, https://archiveofourown.org/users/solarbird/pseuds/solarbird
Summary: Moira O’Deorain has won. Her rivals within Talon destroyed, her trio of loyal Weapons - the Changed and copper-eyed Tracer, the silver-eyed Oilliphéist, and golden-eyed Widowmaker - at her command, to remake the world.Even old-line Talon is starting to get nervous about Moira and Angela's activities, particularly regarding Efi Oladale, and Kamaia and Jabari begin working to secure their own positions both inside - and outside - of the terrorist organisation.This story - a side-step/alternate-ending sequel toThe Armourer and the Living Weapon- will be told in a series of eddas, sagas, fragments, texts, and cantos, all of which serve their individual purposes. To follow it as it appears,please subscribe to the series.





	Of Gods and Monsters, Saga 4: (Caught in) Suspension

“They took a _child?_ ”

“Well,” Maximilien observed dryly, “as I understand it, they gave her back.”

Kamaria pinched the bridge of her nose. “They took. A _child_. And did... whatever Moira did to Oxton and the rest to her.”

“Not precisely,” Jabari observed. “From what my agents reported, she wasn’t treated with any version of the personality modifications used on the former Overwatch members. They did something - I’m not entirely clear what - and eventually returned her to her family in Numbani.”

Before she could object, Max had taken up the thread again.

“I have to say, it’s not as if she’s just any child.” He punched a key on his desk, and pictures began to appear on their screens. “I am not an expert in human child development, but most are not building fully operational combat omnics.”

Jabari snorted dryly. “No. When my son was that age, I was lucky if he cleaned his room.”

“So.” Max steepled his fingers, and Kamaria scowled. “This seems to be an exceptional case - and her position as one of the Adawe Foundation’s pet projects means that we now have an ‘in’ with that organization, even if she doesn’t realize it yet.”

“They still acted without consulting any of us,” Kamaria objected.

“We endorsed the plan of extending our influence into Numbani,” Jabari countered.

“And how does mutilating a little girl serve that plan?”

“Mutilating,” Max said quietly, “seems a very strong word. Are you developing a conscience…?”

Jabari leaned forward towards the pickup for his camera. “Your daughter would have been her age, wouldn’t she?”

Kamaria stiffened. “That is _not_ up for discussion.” She pointed at Jabari, making him sit back. “Aren’t you _concerned_ that Moira’s little powerbase keeps expanding? How are we supposed to put a check on her if we don’t even know what they’re doing until after the fact?”

Max let out a low hum. “I am not... _concerned_ , yet. So far, even though Moira’s actions have certainly benefited her agenda, they have also advanced our goals.” The omnic tapped his fingers against the surface of his desk. “I agree it would be wise to have better awareness of what is going on in Oasis, but it has always been difficult to...cultivate resources there who are NOT loyal to O’Deorain first.”

“It might be worth looking into Ziegler’s organization,” Jabari suggested. “Perhaps we can find someone more...receptive there.”

Kamaria nodded. That made sense, at least. “Agreed. I’ll ask a few of my people to get dossiers on her staff.”

Max nodded, then shifted his gaze back to her. “I do have a few resources in Numbani. Nothing too advanced, but a contact or two I trust. Perhaps I could have them keep an eye on the girl, if it would ease your mind.”

“Yes,” Kamaria admitted. “That would be... agreeable. Thank you.”

Max made a dismissive gesture. “A favor for a friend.”

They wrapped the call up, but Kamaria still felt a lingering unease.

_A friend. Yes. For now, at least._

The image of that little girl being strapped to a table and ‘reworked’ was still at the back of her mind, and it made her stomach churn.

_Maybe I am developing a conscience. Or maybe there’s just a line even I won’t cross._ She shivered despite the comfortable temperature in her office.

Neither was something that would be terribly compatible with Talon, but she didn’t see a way out.

\-----

Carlos knocked on Dr. Ziegler's doorframe - the door, of course, remained open most of the time, when she was in, her open-door policy quite literal. "Doctor, do you have a moment?"

Angela smiled, and briefly held up a finger, not looking away from her display as she resumed typing. A few sentences more, the thought completed, and she turned back to the Brazilian lab technician. "Of course, Cadu. I was just taking a bit of a coffee break. What's on your mind?"

The tech stepped in through the doorframe, and motioned towards the close pad. "This may be sensitive - may I...?"

"Of course. And please, sit down."

He touched the pad, closing the door, and sat in the guest chair.

"I think we may have a security issue."

The doctor's eyebrows furrowed. "Go on."

"One of my reports came to me this morning, saying that she had been approached by someone highly inquisitive about our pharmaceutical research, specifically the anti-dementia research. From the phrasing, she suspects they were German."

"Bayer, you think?" the doctor asked, a little relieved. "Their industrial espionage efforts are historically well funded."

"I looked at it" - he handed her a flimsy - "and something about that doesn't feel right. But someone is definitely interested in what we are doing, and trying to find a way in."

_Sloppy_ , she thought. _You're right - this is not actually German. This is someone trying to look German._ "I very much appreciate you bringing this to my attention," she said, aloud, her bronze eyes sparkling a little. "I know that not everyone has been entirely comfortable, since the changes last January, and... well." She smiled, sympathetically. "You and Michael weren't a secret. I miss him, too, but, more relevantly - these sorts of disruptions _do_ create, how does one say, opportunities? For the inquisitive?"

Cadu nodded. "They do. Though I think the," he smiled, "the substantial pay hikes helped with that."

"There's more to life than money, though - particularly in research. Opportunities matter more, once a certain comfort level of income has been reached. I've tried to address that, as well."

The lab tech chewed on his lip, a bit, and thought, before answering. "I won't lie to you - it has been kind of rough. The schedules, the turnover, the..." He paused.

"The changes in me," she said, smiling. "Why lie? I am different. I think, for the better."

" _What happened?_ " he said, pressing the question, the elephant in the room.

She looked down, at the keyboard. "London," she said, suddenly sad. "I lost... a very good friend, in London. And you know I don't share much about my personal life, but... I almost lost... someone else, very close to me, shortly thereafter." Her gaze shifted back up. "I think you know how that can affect someone."

_Ahhhh,_ he thought, and nodded. "I do. I'm sorry."

The doctor shook her head, and smiled. "She's fine, now. And more importantly, back with me. But yes, it was quite a shock, and... well. For reasons both obvious and personal, I cannot give details, but I, too, needed some... work. And some time to think. To consider who I am, and what I should do."

_She **was** there_ , he thought. _With Overwatch_. "That explains a lot, really."

"I'm glad."

"A lot of people have been worried, even those who stayed. Worried about the direction the institute might take, moving forward."

"I hope no one has been alarmed by our additional funding," she laughed. "'Oh no, we're fully funded, for once - that cannot be good!'"

He laughed, too, but it was tempered. "The new arrangement with the Oasis government did make some of us nervous, but so far, it's all been very hands-off - at least, as far as we can tell. If it stays that way..."

"It will."

"...then I think we'll all be fine. But what should we do with _that?_ " he asked, pointing at the flimsy, with its typed offer.

"Has she responded?"

"She said she hadn't - she came to me, instead, to ask what she should do."

_Good_ , Angela thought. "That indicates she is trustworthy. Do you think she'd be willing to help us string... whoever this is... along? Find out who is trying to find a soft underbelly to exploit?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"I don't want her to feel uncomfortable, but it would be best to know who is behind this espionage attempt. Why don't the three of us meet, after work? Discuss it. Perhaps we could come up with some sort of plan. 17:30, here? We could go out, talk about it over early dinner. If not today, tomorrow."

"I'll have to check."

"Please do. And get back to me as soon as you can. Meanwhile, I will ask some of my colleagues elsewhere if they've been seeing similar efforts." She nodded, a quick motion, to herself, finalising it. "Was there anything else?"

"Nope - and I should get back to work, some cultures will be coming out of the incubator in a few minutes."

"Don't let me keep you, then. And thank you, again, for bringing this to me. I appreciate the... faithfulness?" She laughed. "I am sorry, sometimes my English is not always the best."

"Mine either," he grinned, standing. "Funny how we all end up speaking it though."

"Bad English is the international language of science and business both. I'll see you hopefully tonight. Let me know."

"I will," he said, opening the office door.

"Close that behind you, would you? I need to make a couple of calls."

"Sure!" he said, and closed the door.

Dr. Ziegler frowned, looked over the flimsy again, then dialed her wife’s private phone. She wasn’t surprised that Moira picked up on the first ring. "Hello, dear! I have something you need to see.”

“Was there an unexpected development in the lab?”

“In a sense,” Angela answered as she tapped the flimsy with her fingernail. “I think we may have a problem.”

\-----

Maximilien didn’t like variables.

Their efforts to get more visibility into Ziegler’s organization had taken more time than he liked, but the data they’d received had been interesting.

Particularly the appearance of one of the biggest variables of all, in his opinion.

He considered the report in front of him, then dialed the private channel he’d established with his trusted associates.

Jabari was predictably irritable. “Can’t it _wait_ , Max?” The councilor rubbed at his face with a frustrated groan. “Do you know what _time_ it is here?”

“Two thirty seven in the morning,” Max responded without a hint of contrition.

Kamaria, thankfully, was much more reasonable. “Something significant at last? It’s about time our investments paid off.”

“I believe it is, at least.” Max opened a still photo that had been attached and dropped it into the call with a wireless command even as he made a show of steepling his hands. “Our prodigal daughter has returned.”

Kamaria raised an eyebrow. “Sombra? She hadn’t been spotted since Widowmaker went rogue.”

“I haven’t even gotten to the interesting part of the report.” Max leaned forward slightly. “You notice she’s in a hospital bed.”

Jabari grunted. “I suppose they got to her first, then. Is that Oxton at her bedside?”

“Actually,” Max said coolly, “it seems to be a more interesting story than O’Deorain or Ziegler simply ‘acquiring’ her. If the report is accurate, she _appeared_ in the middle of O’Deorain’s ministry offices in Oasis, having already ‘improved’ herself... and was then taken in for some kind of refinements a few days later. That’s when this photo was taken.”

“She stole their tech?” Kamaria raised an eyebrow. “How much?”

“Our agent is too junior to know. They weren’t able to provide details on the ‘refinements,' either, except that unlike the other ‘patients’ who have been put through those processes, Sombra was not given any kind of sedation or painkillers.”

“They tortured her?” Jabari squinted at the picture. “Punishment for stealing whatever she used on herself?”

“Perhaps. It’s difficult to assign motive from this, but it’s plausible.” Max shrugged. “But she certainly seems to be aligned to them now, willingly or not.”

“Given how little she helped Reaper,” Jabari observed, “I’ll be impressed if Moira gets any _real_ work out of her.”

Kamaria frowned. “I’m not sure if we should dismiss this so easily. She’s an opportunist, but Sombra was an _effective_ opportunist.”

Jabari shook his head. “I’ll believe it when I see it.” He scowled at the camera pickup, but Max had a feeling the ire was meant for him. “If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to bed.”

Max had a moment of envy for the human ability to roll one’s eyes and sigh. “I had nothing else I considered urgent, no.”

Jabari’s connection closed almost instantly, but Kamaria lingered.

“You’re concerned about the fact Sombra apparently “upgraded” herself?”

“It suggests several things,” Max confirmed. “None good.”

“She’s good at stealing tech,” Kamaria mused. “She did steal a great deal from Overwatch, originally.”

“True. But this... it smacks of an inside job.” Max let his fingers fall flat on his desk. “She had help. Who?”

“Ziegler could be assembling her own powerbase. Separate from O’Deorain.”

“Perhaps…” Max considered the possibilities. “Perhaps not. Regardless, it concerns me - regardless of what Jabari thinks.”

Kamari nodded. “Rumor has it that Volskaya still wants Sombra’s head on a plate. Perhaps we can exchange some information.”

“Strange bedfellows,” Max said thoughtfully, “but not unheard of. Still - better you make that contact than I.”

“I’ll see to it,” Kamaria promised before cutting her call as well.

Max sat in his darkened office for some time, considering what they’d learned. It had an air of battle lines being drawn to him, and power blocs coming together as they marshaled their forces. A situation where, even if O’Deorain and Ziegler claimed to be on the same side, he did not like his odds.

_Unless, of course, I can weight them in my favor._

He closed his eyes and focused himself inward, connecting to his office network to dive into the larger web beyond.

First, moving money between ‘clean’ accounts, and then accessing a communications node while he let some background processes continue their work.

It was a matter of milliseconds before he was “looking” at the face of another omnic, this one with dull grey and bronze looking plating, a red and white sash across his chest.

“Greetings and peace be upon you, brother. How may -“

Max interrupted the greeting with the electronic equivalent of an upraised hand. “I have just donated one million Euros to your temple via wire transfer. I wish to speak to Tekhartha Zenyatta. _Now._ ”

The Shambali acolyte recoiled in surprise, then started again when he confirmed the deposit. “Master Zenyatta is in mediation - I will need to see if he is available.”

“Then do so,” Max ground out with an air of great annoyance. “I will wait.”

The connection turned to a slowly rotating fractal mandala, and an arrangement of stringed instruments that Max assumed was meant to be relaxing while you were waiting on hold.

More of the same pseudo-mystical _bullshit_ he’d always despised from Mondatta and his ilk, but they could be useful under the right conditions... and the removal of certain variables.

_Strange bedfellows, indeed._

\-----

"Kamaria," Katya said, eyes narrowed. "It's been a long time. Particularly without a proxy involved."

"Katya," Kamaria smiled, in return. "I presume you mean our mutual _friend_."

"Of course," the CEO responded. "Who else? She's been quiet a long time. Has she prompted you to make this call, or do I have someone else to thank for the pleasure?"

"It was her, In a way," the Talon board member replied. "I presume you know our mutual friend has been difficult to find, as of late."

"Yes. Refreshingly so."

Kamaria couldn't help her small grin. "True. I have always found her... irritating, myself, even if useful. But she has been found in a compromising environment, it seems."

" _Really_ ," Volskaya responded with a raised eyebrow. "Please, go on."

"You are aware that certain allies of mine have had a... successful year."

"I am," she nodded. "And that certain opponents who felt it necessarily to overreach - violently - have found themselves permanently sidelined. I had hoped she was one of them."

"But it is said that alliances are the most fragile on the verge of defeat - or of victory, and I am _concerned_ about certain alliances of my own. People who seem to be building out their own power bases very quickly."

"And that is my problem why?"

"It may not be a problem at all. I hope it is not. But... one of them appears to have acquired our mutual friend. Which means we both need to be concerned, until we know otherwise, about the possible _uses_ to which this mutual friend might be put."

"I see," she said, nodding her agreement. "Perhaps we should discuss this more directly, in a more comfortable environment."

"I am planning on being in Rome next week. It is close to halfway between us. Would that be of interest?"

"Yes," the CEO said. "I think it would."

"Wednesday? The usual hotel, the usual names, and the usual time?"

"It has been long enough that it is hardly usual. Still, I remember. But I have a board meeting. Thursday?"

"Thursday will do."

"Then I will see you next week."

"And I, you. Good night, Katya."

"Good evening, Kamaria," the CEO replied, disconnecting the call.

She sat, quietly, in her Moscow office, thinking. _Well, that was not a call I expected to receive. She must be deeply nervous about **something** , to be so transparent._

She reached over, brought up her private secured padd, and thumbed it to life. "Zarya, it's me. I know it's the middle of the night where you are, but when you wake up, call me regardless of the time. I'll leave this on so it will wake me. I think we finally have something new to talk about, regarding our _friend_ \- and Talon."

\-----

Genji sat on the balcony of the little house he had once called home, and let himself feel the winter’s cold.

He’d left his helmet, mask, and the black silk wrap that normally concealed the cybernetic plates that wrapped around the back of his head inside, along with his weapons and armor. Kneeling in seiza, he watched the sun slowly slip behind the Annapurnas, casting the gorges in shades of red and gold.

He tried to focus on his breathing, letting the chilly air expand through his diaphragm and then exhaling out. Attempting to empty his mind as he concentrated on that single physical act.

He’d almost managed to reach a point of true tranquility when the sound of boots on wood captured his attention.

“How’s that inner peace goin’?”

Genji opened his eyes to huff and roll them in Jesse’s direction. “I don’t know - someone decided to interrupt.”

“Well I do apologize about that, darlin’.” Jesse settled down on the balcony, his boots dangling over the edge, and Genji shifted so he could lean against him.

“I suppose I can forgive you,” Genji grinned. “ _This_ time.”

Jesse put on a mock pout. “You say that like I’ve done hurt you before.”

“Jakarta,” Genji pointed out.

“That was _entirely_ an accident.”

“Montréal.”

Jesse blew a thick cloud of smoke into the twilight air. “I do believe I apologized _extensively_ at the time.”

Genji paused before he brought up the next incident that came immediately to mind. “Venice.”

Jesse took a deep drag on his cigarillo. “See, what _I_ remember from Venice was pullin’ your crazy ass off that Talon assault trooper and tossin’ you on the dropship. I ain’t apologizing for that.”

Genji grinned. “I had that well in hand - but I was talking about having to endure your ‘flawless’ Italian accent.”

Jesse snorted. “Ahhhhh, _fuck-a you, signoreh!_ ”

They shared a laugh, and Genji wrapped his fingers around Jesse’s free hand, feeling the contrast of his carefully engineered fingers against the rougher, cruder design of McCree’s prosthetic. “I have been thinking about Venice often, lately.”

“Me too,” Jesse admitted. “Between Reyes and O’Deorain... Talon... all the ways things seemed to change, after that job.”

Genji gave a little grunt, drinking in the scents of leather and tobacco that always surrounded his lover. “I remember who they used to be. The doctor was never a warm person, but she had her sense of humor. She seemed to be sincere about protecting us - being one of us.”

Jesse nodded. “Reyes... you _knew_ he cared, even if he was bein’ a hardass half the time.”

“I miss him,” Genji said softly. They hadn’t spoken of him often, but with the new year, it seemed fitting. “I didn’t know him as long or as well as you did, but he was…”

“A royal pain in the ass?”

Genji chuckled. “Yes. But I think I was going to call him ‘kind’, in his own way.”

“He could be,” Jesse acknowledged. “Remember when you were still on liquids only?”

Genji groaned. “I’d rather not.”

Jesse grinned. “I thought the box of crazy straws he picked up for you was pretty good.”

Genji snorted as he straightened up. “I did appreciate that most of them were green.”

Jesse reached across with his flesh and blood hand to lightly stroke the scarred side of Genji’s face. “You didn’t look so bad in red, either.”

“And if I combined the two,” Genji popped to his feet, stretching his arms wide, “MERRY CHRISTMAS!”

They shared a laugh as Genji offered Jesse his hand, helping him to his feet.

“I suppose it wasn’t all bad,” Jesse agreed with a lazy little smile. “Though if I am honest... I always did appreciate you most in nothin’ at all.”

Genji raised an eyebrow. “Is that a _proposition_ , Jesse McCree?”

Jesse’s arm slipped around his back, and Genji let himself be drawn closer. “I do suppose it was, Shimada-san.”

Perhaps it wasn’t meditation, but as their lips came together Genji thought it was an excellent way to empty his mind of any other concerns for a time.

Night had fully fallen when they finally spoke of other matters, Genji tucked against Jesse’s side, head pillowed against his shoulder.

“What did you think about the news from my Master?”

Jesse gave a thoughtful sort of rumble, and Genji smiled at the sensation. “I’m not surprised there’s parts of Talon that ain’t on board with whatever the _hell_ is goin’ on in Oasis. They always had their factions. I guess the question is how many are lookin’ at breakin’ away - an’ how fast.”

“You think it may be too late?”

Jesse gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Oasis is locked up tighter than a snake’s asshole. Can’t get much in, won’t get much out. Not that’s useful, anyway. They’ve got a power base there. Maybe even bigger than Antonio had in Venice, an’ I don’t see a way to crack it - yet. But maybe... maybe we can knock a few bricks out from the sides.”

“More than just Maximilien?”

Jesse’s smile was a sharp gleam of teeth in the darkened room. “Couple of my contacts in Rome said another Talon bigwig was spotted flyin’ in for a meeting - at a hotel that ‘Tatiana Ivanova’ checked into a few hours earlier.”

Genji frowned. “Should I know that name?”

“It’s a bit like a ‘John Smith’ if you’re Russian... and in this case, ‘Tatiana’ looked an _awful_ lot like Katya Volskaya.”

“Ahhhh. Looking for allies, then.”

“Might be,” Jesse agreed. “Jus’ might be.”

Genji turned that over in his mind. “You think they are scared?”

“I sure as hell am,” Jesse said quietly. “I think they’re havin’ just as much trouble figuring out what the hell O’Deorain’s up to as we are, and they’re worried she might just be cookin’ up a way to come after them next. So we’ll see if she turns up the pressure. Watch their movements. See just how serious they are about wantin’ to jump, an’ If they do…”

“We give them a place to land,” Genji mused thoughtfully. “Perhaps even here?”

“Stranger things have happened,” Jesse drawled.

Genji smiled as he considered that. “Yes, I suppose they have.”

Jesse didn't smile. "But if people like _that_ are gonna have to be comin' _here_... and we're gonna be lettin' 'em..." He let out a long, long breath. "I've worked with some pretty bad hombres in my life, Genji. These are worse. If they're gettin' that scared... we gotta find out what th' hell's goin' on, and soon."

**Author's Note:**

> To follow this story, [subscribe to the series via this link](https://archiveofourown.org/series/972024), rather than to the individual eddas or sagas.


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